Every time Christmas comes around, we are reminded of the birth of our Savior. Though it was His death that brought us the salvation we so desperately needed, it was His birth that re-ignited hope in us. The words “…for He shall save His people from sin” talks about Jesus restoring the hope that humanity had lost centuries earlier.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21 NIV
In all of this, one question comes to mind; why Jesus? Why was it necessary that the incarnate of God in flesh come to earth to save humans? I tell myself that it’s because God loves me so much, He wouldn’t even delegate a matter that concerns my salvation. He took it personally. This is a fun way to think of it, but the reason why Jesus came to earth is much deeper.
First of all, only He could do it. For a proper atonement of our sins to be made, a blameless and spotless lamb had to be used (Exo. 12:5; 1 Pet. 1:19). Since sin entered the world by man, only a Man could conquer it…the blood of animals was only a temporary solution (1 Cor. 15:21-22). It is practically impossible for humans to remain sinless throughout their years because the scripture tells us that even from the point of conception, we are already tainted by sin (Rom. 3:23). Only Jesus, the One born by an immaculate conception, who lived without a single sin was worthy enough to make the atonement.
A lot of time elapsed between when mankind first fell and when, by God’s time, the Messiah came. Things had moved from the Father-child relationship God intended to a Lord-servant one. This doesn’t mean we are no longer servants of God but that instead of that distant, transactional relationship, we were made to see what God intended from the onset. Jesus had to be the one because no one else could show us the Father, except the Son.
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
John 1:18 NIV
Disclaimer: this third reason is more from a personal perspective, although I still believe in its truth.
Jesus came to earth as a way to understand men. I sometimes wonder why He didn’t just appear as a fully grown man and go straight to the cross the next day…I mean, God could make it work. But, Hebrews 4:15 tells us that we do not have a high priest that cannot sympathize with us. We have one who understands our demands, knows our pain and sees our heart. Someone said it’s easy to give advice and dish out commands when you haven’t experienced that thing. But we know that Jesus lived as a human. He was scolded by His parents, went to school like we do, worked a job, received scrutiny, got tempted, suffered humiliation, felt pain…just like we do. So, He understands the life humans live.
He came to draw us nearer to Himself by first humbling Himself to our level and living life as we do. In His bid for a better relationship, He came to earth.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15 ESV
If Jesus was not born, it would mean He wouldn’t die and resurrect. We would have to deal with sin, death and the grave, all while trying to balance things with God. In fact, you and I wouldn’t have been here. We would have been the “pagan nations” that scripture had predicted to be doomed because the concept of a Living God would have been foreign to us (Eph. 2:12). It was after Jesus’ death and resurrection that the gospel became free for all (Gal. 3:28). Communion with God was not reserved for a few, it was thrown open to as many who believed (Matt. 27:51).
Another question that comes to mind is why did Jesus do this? Yes, He is the only One that could have done this for us but why did He do it? Why did God choose to become incarnate in flesh and suffer all He did just for us? The answer to this is found in John 3:16:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
“For God so loved…”. When we talk about Christmas and the spirit of love, it has roots. Christmas–or rather–the birth of Christ started with love. Jesus came to earth because of the love He has for us. The concept of love, particularly in this generation, has become so weak and non-sacrificial. But here, we have the pure, tireless, and sacrificial love of Christ, which gave us everything.
The promise of the Messiah was not God’s afterthought. It was ordained right from the time sin entered into the world (Gen. 3:15). God had so lovingly prepared a solution to man’s sin-problem. And on that fateful night, that Solution came wrapped in swaddling clothes, placed in a manger. The night Jesus was born, heaven rejoiced because they knew–like we now know–that sin, death and the grave were dealt with.
In the end, the birth of Jesus Christ boils down to one profound truth: God’s unwavering love for humanity. This Christmas…and beyond, find it in you to express gratitude for Jesus’ selfless sacrifice. Let us not forget the depth of this love, which compelled God to give His only Son for our salvation. May this love inspire us and may it live in us always in Jesus name. Amen.
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